i know it was serious it could have ben a lot worse than just a little scratch on her face, i just need to be more aware of what is going on when other people are around my dog because most people dont know anything about how to act around a dog even when you tell them what u want ,and he was on a leash a few feet away from me i was just looking elswear when she got in his face she does it all the time just not when he was eating a marrow bone ,and she ignored his warning but im just glad it wasent as bad as it could have been im sure we will bolth be a lot more carefull from now on

I just meant to keep a little harmony between you and her. Even if she only got a splinter from the bone, you better show some "sensitivity"

i know i did or else i would be in the dog house but she also forgave the dog too so we are all good

I would think that dog trainers/experts would certainly not want to limit their social circles to only those who are well educated in dog behavior/training, but I could be wrong.

I have had times where I needed to take food or move food for Ollie, like when trying to train him to keep his raw food in one place. And I've tested him with bones and toys to ensure the safety of my children. (Is this wong?) At the same time, my kids have been taught that dogs are NOT stuffed animals that they can't roll around with and hug up on them. My 7 year old doesn't pay any attention at all to Ollie. (too much like work for him) My 11 yr old son does help out in small controlled ways, becasue he has the interest, confidence and demeanor to do so.

Now, my boyfriend, who is intelligent, successful but COMPLETELY clueless about dogs is a different story.He hated dogs before I got Ollie because he had only had bad experiences with poorly trained animals. He LOVES Ollie, but we are constantly working on what is and is not acceptable.
"He's not a child, he's a dog."
"He only responds to the commands he's been taught, he can't understand what you're saying!"
I could go on and on, but he is learning and respectful of what I'm trying to do with Ollie...and even gets pretty excited when he sees that this stuff really works!

I guess what I'm saying is that people can be ignorant of certain things without being stupid. Maybe you could encourage your girlfriend to read up on dog behaviors and how to interact with them...ect. in addition to whatever training you're doing with the dog.

Random thought: It's a shame children can't be taught at a young age, (in school), about how to behave towards animals...kind of like the "Don't talk to strangers" that they drill into their heads. That would be just as valuable a safety lesson.

The gf got a valuable education at little cost it seems.

All's well that ends well.

Random thought, keep working with your bf.
Random thought, why in the world do you think the school system should be teaching children about how they should interact with animals, any animal, outside of humans that is?

Randy,

What I meant was, they have those videos for little kids in school, play groups ect...about how not to talk to strangers, how to handle situations with strangers and getting lost.

I was just saying that it might be a good thing to teach children in the same way that you don't run up to a strange dog and pet it, if there is a loose dog in the neighborhood and it comes up to you, what should you do? THat sort of thing. I see a huge difference in how my children act when they see a dog and how some have responded to mine when I'm walking him.

The responsibility is really the parents...but...well....that's another topic entirely. I have had very young children, while their parents watch, run up to my dog with outstretched hands. Then the parents get mad when I stop them.

I did not mean to imply that it is the school system's responsibility, just that it's one of the places where awareness material is used.

Get a Rott Janet. Then you can enjoy the panic on the parents face as they chase their kids, trying to stop them from getting near your dog.

LOL, Randy!

The real kicker is that some will say, "Oh it's ok, he/she can pet him." Um, no...not really.

Glad it wasn't worse. A dog can make a real horrid mess of a persons face in the blink of an eye.
My little brother (5) was bitten in the face by my fox terrier, at 50 you can still see the scars. The dog hung on and shook...
Parents got rid of that poor dog right NOW.

Many of us learned our lessons the hard way.
I've got a left thumb that still doesn't work real well thanks to my stupidity and a Boxer my family had.
No matter my age, but I learned you don't tease the dog and not get out of the way when they explode.

My mother looked at the wound, asked what happened and told me, "if you're going to play with the dog, you might get bit.'

That's what dogs do, they bite. It's their nature.

As dog owners/keepers it's our responsiblity to make sure all people that come in contact with our dogs understand that fact of life. Dogs bite. Play with the dog, tease the dog, challenge the dog, even just pet the dog and you're liable to get bit.

Dogs bite, when dogs are pushed, they bite. It's their nature.

Randy